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Copyright © 2006-2007 onlybooks.110mb.com Goldie |
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Superman Comics Collection |
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Superman's origins have been imagined and reimagined over the years. Here is a new take on the character's roots. Busiek and Immonen start with mild-mannered teen Clark Kent, who, after years of being kidded about his name, suddenly discovers that he has powers like those of his fictional namesake. He feels obligated to use his capabilities for good but realizes that, to live a normal life, he has to operate in secret, performing his superfeats covertly. His precautions prove insufficiently protective, however, and government agents investigating the existence of a real-life superhero have ominous plans for him. Busiek here uses the same trick--setting characters with fantastic powers in a "real-life" world closely resembling that of readers--that has made his Astro City a critical favorite, and Immonen greatly aids him with quietly powerful, realistic artwork. Superman has remained popular for nearly 70 years because of the appeal of having powers "far beyond those of mortal men." Busiek gives us a glimpse of what actually possessing them would probably entail, taking a cue from the contemporary superheroic slogan, "With great power comes great responsibility. Superman: Secret Identity was a four-issue limited series of 48 pages each in prestige format, written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by Stuart Immonen. The first issue was published in January 2004, and the limited series ran until April 2004. The title was not released under the Elseworlds banner, but is regarded as a non-canonical story. The story describes the life of Clark Kent, a man in a world in which the superheroes are alive only in the comics, who suddenly gains the powers of Superman. A young boy is born to David and Laura Kent, in a small town near Kansas. To them it was only natural to call him Clark, after the fictional superhero Superman, something for which Clark has not been grateful. He receives his always Superman-related gifts with a smile, and puts them in a closet, never to look at them again. He endures the name he has been given, especially in school, where he ends up the butt of many jokes of the local bully Mike. When home, he usually retreats to what his father has dubbed the 'Fortress of Solitude', a typing machine in a tractor on the fields, where Clark sits and writes. His ambition is to one day become a writer (not a reporter!). When the troubles that his name brings him really get to him, he spends the weekend hiking, and sleeping in the outdoors. On one of those fateful weekends, Clark wakes up from a bad dream, and finds he's floating in mid-air. Discovering that he now has in fact, the powers of Superman, greatly benefits Clark, as he is able to avoid his tormentors at school (and on one occasion, he uses his X-Ray vision on the girls' locker room), and in his weekends, can fly all over the world. He does not reveal them to his parents, although he starts to quesion his parentage. Eventually, while out flying, Clark happens onto a great flood and proceeds to save someone from drowning, and quickly flying off before he can be spotted. He decides, that no matter how he got powers, he has them now, and should use them. After a few more rescues, Clark does get spotted in a blurry far-away photograph, and the phenomenon is tracked down to Hopefield, his hometown. Press, as well as government agents question everybody in the nearby area, even him, although he tells them he knows nothing. Nonetheless, with the appearance of a true Superboy, Clark is pestered even more, and the questions about his powers still aren't answered. He decides to approach Wendy Case, the reporter who wrote the first story on him. He starts giving her interviews, as she tries to investigate the origin of his powers. Clark keeps his secret identity, and at times proves his existence by pulling stunts (at one point, he accidentally creates a sonic boom). The news spreads and everyone is clamoring for the Superboy, and Wendy offers Clark a press deal, where they handle his debut, and they can investigate his powers even better. Clark doubts but is about to give in, when Wendy breaks their agreement, by bringing a camera to one of their interviews. Angrily, he leaves (not before destroying the camera), but nonetheless decides that he will go public with his powers. So, next Halloween, Clark dresses in an old Superboy outfit he once got for a birthday and goes to the town's carnival. Suddenly, Clark hears a small tick, and a bomb explodes. Putting aside his worries, he starts to rescue the people caught in the blast, worrying only about their safety. Just as he thinks he has saved most of them, he hears the muffled groan of Cassie, long-time friend, and whom he has a crush on, who has ended up trapped under a beam thanks to the explosion. Clark quickly lifts the beam, so that she can escape, when a group of reporters come near him as he holds the beam, amongst them Wendy. At that point, seeing the maddened Wendy, he decides that it is best to keep his secret identity, and tips over, letting the beam fall. His actions are described as a lucky break and that the Superboy who saved multiple people from the explosion was a hoax. It turns out that it was in fact Wendy Case that had orchestrated the explosion. Clark became somewhat of a local hero, earning the respect of his former bully Mike, and although he and Cassie become a couple, he is finally content with his life. The government agents leave Hopefield as well, thinking Clark a false trail (especially since he had received injuries prior to getting his powers). |
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Superman Secret Identity |
